Nothing but a Man
A 1964 drama about dignity and racism in the South.
Nothing but a Man is a 1964 American independent drama film directed by Michael Roemer and co-written with Robert M. Young. It stars Ivan Dixon as Duff Anderson, an African-American railroad worker struggling to maintain his dignity in a small racist town near Birmingham, Alabama. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Michael Roemer
- Writer
- Michael Roemer; Robert M. Young
- Producer
- Michael Roemer
- Robert M. Young
- Robert Rubin
- Starring
- Ivan Dixon
- Abbey Lincoln
- Gloria Foster
- Julius Harris
- Cinematography
- Robert M. Young
- Distributor
- Cinema V
- Released
- 19 September 1964, New York Film Festival
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Duff Anderson works on a railroad section gang near Birmingham, Alabama, earning a good wage and living an itinerant life with his black co-workers. On a night off, he walks into a nearby small town and attends a church meeting, where he meets Josie, a schoolteacher and the daughter of Preacher Dawson. Despite her parents' objections, Josie continues to see Duff, who initially seeks only a sexual relationship. After visiting his four-year-old illegitimate son and his abusive, drunken father, Duff decides he prefers family stability. He and Josie marry, but challenges arise when Duff quits the section gang for a lower-paying sawmill job. Living in town subjects him to social rules; he refuses to feign friendliness toward patronizing white people. Blacklisted at other mills, Duff cannot find work that pays enough to support his family, now expecting a baby.
Production
The screenplay was written by Robert M. Young and Michael Roemer, who drew on his own background as a Jew persecuted by Nazis; Roemer had fled Nazi Germany on the Kindertransports as an 11-year-old. Before writing, Roemer and Young traveled through the South to understand African-American culture, being passed from one black family and community to another. In Mississippi, the plot came to Roemer, and the script was completed in six weeks after they returned to New York City. Casting took several months; Charles Gordone introduced the writers to talent including Broadway actor Ivan Dixon and jazz musician Abbey Lincoln. Julius Harris made his acting debut as Duff's father, and Yaphet Kotto had his first credited movie role as a railroad worker. The film's title was nearly changed to Duff Anderson at the last minute.
Reception
Nothing but a Man premiered at Philharmonic Hall and had a limited run in a few cities, receiving rave reviews at the New York Film Festival and winning a prize at the Venice Film Festival. According to Roger Ebert, the film's release was spotty and little money was available for promotion; it was mostly shown at theaters specializing in independent and foreign films. Ebert suggested it failed to find a wider audience because it did not employ the easy liberal pieties of its period. The film became more famous than familiar, and few people had seen it by the early 1990s. A restored print was nationally re-released in 1993, and a DVD release followed in 2004. As of 2022, it held a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 44 critics.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was assembled by Wilbur Kirk and features many early 1960s hit songs from Motown Records, marking the label's first original soundtrack recording. Motown released an original soundtrack album on CD in 1996. The track listing includes songs by Martha & The Vandellas, Little Stevie Wonder, The Miracles, Holland & Dozier, The Marvelettes, and Mary Wells.
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